Never in the history of volcanology have so many volcanoes been monitored. We have the ability to sit and watch hundreds of volcanoes as they sleep, rumble or erupt — all from the comfort of our homes or offices.

Of course, some communities near active volcanoes don’t have the luxury of having a distant, virtual view, as was the case last year in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.

Photo

A family in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, copes with the ash falling from the nearby volcano. This is one of many photographs taken in the threatened town by the French photographer Eric Lafforgue.Credit

At times like this, it’s worth re-reading William J. Broad’s 2005 feature, filed shortly after the great Indian Ocean tsunami, on how the recycling of Earth’s tectonic plates can produce devastating upheavals but is also one reason the planet is habitable in the first place.

What's Next

About

By 2050 or so, the human population is expected to pass nine billion. Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where humans are already shaping climate and the web of life. Dot Earth was created by Andrew Revkin in October 2007 -- in part with support from a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship -- to explore ways to balance human needs and the planet's limits.